Life is Chaos
by alleycat1312
Summary: Tails is having problems with his new chao, the Master Emerald is acting strange, and Rouge finds out something about GUN she shouldn't have. What happens when the power of chaos becomes a living thing?
1. A Day with Tails

_This is my second fanfiction, my first Sonic one. Hope you like it!_

_For the sake of a timeline, this story takes place a year after "Sonic Heroes"._

_I have been a fan of Sonic since his Sega Genesis days and played nearly very game (Sonic Heroes was a bit of a disappointment)._

_So don't worry, Sonic & co. will be used respectfully._

_These first couple chapters are kind of short. Don't worry! Soon they will become longer, this is just the beginning._

_Anyway, please review and don't be afraid to criticize._

Chapter 1: A Day with Tails

Miles "Tails" Prowler, on the day this story begins, was sitting on his porch. It was a beautiful day, and the sunlight filtered through the forest canopy to rest on the fox's face. Tails had nothing to do today. Sonic was off on one of his weeklong runs, and everyone else seemed occupied. Of course, Amy had asked him to come shopping but the thought of shopping with Amy… we won't go there.

So for now Tails just sat on the porch of the secluded house Sonic & co. called home, trying to think of what to do. _It's Monday, so Knuckles will be busy polishing the Master Emerald. I'm so bored!_ Then a thought came to him, _Cream! I'll go visit her in the Chao Garden. _He always enjoyed being with Cream, and playing with the Chao would relieve his boredom.

Tails hopped the steps and took off without another thought. His twin tails twisted and in an orange blur he ran to the Chao garden. He wasn't nearly as fast as Sonic, but he could get from point A to point B.

Racing through the trees he felt elated. It was so fun to weave in and out between the giant oaks, cutting it close just for the fun of it. It had been nearly a year since their last adventure and the non-action was getting to him.

Within 15 minutes the young fox came to a sudden halt. He was there.

The expanse of soft grass and the gentle waterfalls came to Tails's eyes and his busy heart relaxed. An air of warmth drifted over him, and he understood why Cream would want to live here.

He walked a little ways and started to see Chao. Each one was different - pure color or a collage of animals, shiny or speckled, sleeping or playing.

Tails walked beneath a fruit tree and started tolook for Cream. He looked out at the garden, concentrating hard, whena loud blast from behind madehim jump. His heart pounding, he turned and saw a gold Chao with a trumpet standing behind him. The Chao tilted its head, stuck out its tongue, and then ran away laughing.

Tails opened his mouth to call the troublemaker back when another noise came from behind him.

"That's Ajex," said Cream the Rabbit in her deliberate voice. "He's always getting into trouble, but he's good-natured."

"I see…" said Tails.

"Would you like to have lunch with the Chao and me?" asked Cream although she knew the answer.

"Yes I would Cream."

The rest of the day was a vast improvement to just sitting on the porch. Cream made Tails a wonderful lunch, which they ate with the Chao near the pond. Then Tails followed Cream on her rounds and helped her care for the Chao.

Near the end of the day, a group of Chao that included Ajexplayed musicfor Cream and Tails. Ajex wailed on the trumpet, while a silly grinned blue Chao tried (and failed horribly) to keep the beat on a bass drum. A strange rabbit-like Chao played the cymbals with comical enthusiasm, and, to the pair's amusement, the final Chao wiped out a pair of over-sized maracas.

After the loud but hilarious noise subsided Tails and Cream were left alone. They sat under a tree as the sun began its decent. Tails thought and deemed this a very good day, _I am so glad I came._

"So where is Sonic?" Cream asked of the fox.

"He left on a run," replied Tails. "Said he was going out west and would be back by Friday. It's not like him to miss the Chao races."

"Yes, this Friday will be very competitive."

Tails sighed and leaned back. As he did his head hit something soft and round. _What the…?_

"Chao cha cho chao!" said a Chao. It was white with gorilla arms and a tail of red and green. The creature looked at Cream with concern and the parrot crest on its forehead rose like an eyebrow.

"What is it Choc?" she asked. Choc replied in a series of 'chao', which Tails did not understand.

"Come on Tails!" exclaimed Cream as she got up and followed Choc, who ran ahead of them.

"What's going on!" yelled Tails.

He checked his pace and jogged behind Cream. Choc was leading them west and their shadows raced in front of them. Soon they stopped. Before them, in the middle of a flower patch, lay a shiny white egg. The egg was shaking violently and cracks were visible on its surface.

Tails bent forward to touch it, but Cream stopped him.

"No," she said softly, in awe. "It needs to hatch on its own."

The trio stood in silence, as the convulsing egg was painted orange. _Wow, this day keeps getting better, _thought Tails. He had never witnessed a chao birth, and it was really exciting.

Cream was thinking-_Where did this egg come from? I don't remember an egg being laid…Oh well! Come on little one, keep coming!_

Choc was thinking-_Chao cho oh cha chao!_ Which means- Keep trying!

The eggshell sparkled in the sunset and then suddenly burst open.

Sitting in the middle of the broken shell was a dazzlingly white, almost transparent, child Chao. Its eyes opened delicately, revealing black pupils surrounded by gray irises. It shook and a faint rose color entered the small body.

It looked at its brother, then to Cream, and finally Tails. When the child's eyes reached Tails they lit up with love. It reached out its short arms to the fox and cooed with obvious affection.

"Take her Tails," Cream said slowly.

"Her? Why?" said Tails who took the Chao in his arms.

"I can tell it is female because females turn rose after birth and males turn light green."

Choc nodded as if to confirm this.

"And I think she has imprinted you."

"That means…" asked Tails as the Chao snuggled him fiercely.

"She thinks you're its parent," said Cream, trying to hold back her giggles. _Tails, a parent? "_They normally don't imprint anyone, since most are raised by caretakers, like myself, instead of their Chao parents; but this one… apparently has."

The Chao had now successfully cuddled its way under Tails's chin, forcing his head up so that he had difficulty keeping his eyes on Cream. She must have decided that it was a good place because she next sighed and closed her eyes.

"What do I do?" asked Tails. He was a little freaked out at this, _I can't be a parent, I'm hardly a teenager!_

"Well, lets try setting her down first," Cream told him.

Tails lowered himself and tried to set the Chao down. The result was serious whiplash when Tails realized the she was latched to his neck. After prying her off, the shiny thing preceded to shriek louder then Cream could remember any child shrieking. Tails moaned and flew to the ground with his furry ears covered. He was pulled up by Cream as she forced the Chao into his arms.

The following silence was like a slice of heaven.

"Chao cho chao!" said Choc. _Wow! Some pipes!_

"That didn't work," Tails pointed out.

Cream took on a thoughtful look and then turned to Tails. "You'll have to raise her until she is old enough to live here. Or you could keep her as a pet, since she is so attached to you, literally."

"But I don't know how to raise a Chao!" shouted Tails.

"Why don't you stay with me for the next couple days and I can help you?" suggested Cream.

"I guess…" said Tails. He had always been a little shy when it came to sleepovers, something to do with not sleeping in his own bed and forgetting his toothbrush.

"Come," Cream gestured. "I'll make a bed for you and her."

Tails followed Cream to her lodge near the waterfall, the Chao in his arms, wondering how this great day had just turned to chaos.


	2. Amy and the Rain

Chapter 2: Amy and the Rain

Amy the Hedgehog loved to shop. She especially liked Station Square's new street of small boutiques and sidewalk sales. She had been looking forward to buying a new pink dress (hers was so out of date), when the rain started. Shielding herself with a fashion magazine, Amy took shelter in a cozy café, the dress left behind.

She walked in, complaining loudly. There hadn't been a cloud in the sky, and it had still rained. _Ah! I wanted that dress!_ She thought. _It's only Tuesday though, I can come back tomorrow or maybe it will stop raining. _

Amy chose to sit by the window because most of the seats were taken by other "rain refugees". She sighed deeply and peered out the window at the rain. What really bothered her was that Sonic was away….

But he really wasn't away, Sonic the Hedgehog was right there. He sat opposite her at their couple's table near the window. The rain was loud but Amy didn't care, she was looking at Sonic.

The blue hedgehog was dressed in a tux, chocolate and roses on the table before him, and a small black box…

"Amy, I am so sorry for everything I've put you through-" he started in a very-deep-not-Sonic-like voice.

"Oh Sonic it's okay-" said Amy, who didn't notice.

"No, no it's not," said Sonic."Amy I love you."

Amy gazed into his eyes. Then her heart flipped madly inside her as Sonic took a knee.

"Amy will you-"

BANG! Amy's head collided with the wooden table. Startled, she woke up, not quite realizing why she was half-out of her chair.

"Oww!" she moaned. She rubbed the place where her head had hit the table. By now all of the people in the café were looking at her. She silently fumed and tried to ward off their numerous stares. _Oh, that was the perfect daydream! But now my head hurts!_

Amy turned from their glares to the outside. It had stopped raining.

_What! _It had just started raining but that was over. The sun shone, lighting up the wet cement. People emerged from their hiding-places, just as confused as her. _That's weird…ah well. Now I can get my dress!_

Some hours later, Amy arrived at the house Sonic had bought after saving the world from the space colony Ark. He had decided that they all needed a permanent place near humans to live, seeing as how they always had to save them. The people of Station Square had dubbed the house the "blue house". It was not blue in color, no just plain white. To Amy though, it would always be home.

The blue house was 3 stories and fully equipped for the needs of Sonic and his friends. Amy now dragged her many purchases up the spiral staircase to her second floor room. As she did she recalled how Sonic had not designed this house. _He's not that type of guy, _she thought lovingly. He had left that up to top designers by shrugging and then disappearing in a blur. Besides, he had no time, since he was always running or saving the world. _Oh,well._

Amy walked into her room, which was completely pink, and dropped her bags next to her bed. She was very tired from shopping all day.

_I wonder where Tails is? _She thought. He had been here yesterday when she left, but he wasn't here now. _Where could he have gone?_ But she didn't dwell on it too much. She was sure that Tails was safe. He was probably just out back in his mechanic's shed. She'd check later, right now she had to take care of her things.

Tails woke up to find Cream had made him breakfast, the tasty aromas floating into his room. He went out into the kitchen and sat down to eat.

"How is she?" Cream asked.

"She's still sleeping, but now she's all white," said Tails as he dug into his food.

""That's alright. The rose or green fades after their first day,' she told him.

"Oh."

"Today we have to take her to the fortune teller's to get a name," said Cream.

"We do?' asked Tails.

"Yes we do. We should leave pretty soon."

After they were done eating, Cream and Tails took the child chao to the fortune-teller's. On the way there they saw Choc, who wished them a good day.

Cream entered the purple door first, Tails followed close behind. The room was dimly lit and smelled strongly of incense. Tapestries hung everywhere, making the room feel small and cozy, too cozy for Tails.

The small chao stirred in his arms. She tried to bury her face in the long fox fur of Tails. The squirming startled Tails, who accidentally dropped her. Cream turned to see the chao on the floor and Tails looking like he had been attacked by a blow-dryer.

The fortune teller looked on with interest. She'd never seen anyone come to her with such a chao, and she had never seen anyone _drop_ their chao!

Tails gave Cream a sheepish grin as the baby burst into tears. This bout of crying was much louder then the one yesterday. It could be heard all through the kindergarten.

Quickly Cream picked the chao up and cuddled her. Tears darkened her simple dress but the crying soon stopped. Cream looked at Tails with a mix of sympathy, dismay, and laughter. Tails could only look at the floor, _how could I do that?_

"I take it that you want a name for your chao?" asked the fortune-teller in a mystical voice.

"Yes," Cream said as she placed the chao on the fortune-teller's desk.

"What a pretty chao!" said the fortune-teller. Now that she had a closer view, she could see the shiny, almost transparent, nature of the child.

She took her eyes off the baby and turned them to her crystal ball. The ball started to rapidly change colors. Tails stood next to Cream, frightened and embarrassed. Cream stared at the ball with the same interest she did each time. And finally, the reason for this journey, sat mesmerized by the changing colors.

Cream was vaguely aware of the fortune-teller's magic words. She was looking at the crystal ball, thinking _this is different._

Suddenly the incantation was done and the whole room shone with bright colors. Tails cried out weakly in surprise and Cream turned to him with a look that said-_it's okay._

"Your chao is special and deserves a special name," said the fortune-teller. "How about Chaoko?"

"No," said Tails. He had heard so many chao with that name.

Quartz?

Chaofun?

Champ?

All turned down.

"What about," said the fortune-teller, "Shoca Lief?"

"Shoca leaf?" asked Tails, who had never heard a stranger name.

"No, Shoca Lief," corrected Cream. "You rarely suggest two part names," she said to the fortune-teller.

"Do you like it or not?" asked the lady.

Tails looked at Cream then said, "I really don't-"

"Chao cho!" interrupted the tiny chao.

Everyone looked at the white thing with surprise, chao this young may babble butsimply **did not** talk.

"She said 'I like'," interpreted a confused Cream.

"Then her name it shall be," continued the fortune-teller. "Shoca Lief is a really good name. I hope you and your chao have a happy life. Best wishes for world peace. Bye."

Cream picked up Shoca Lief and then she and Tails left. Outside the grass was wet but the sun was shining.

"That was weird," he said in his boyish voice.

"That was strange," admitted Cream. "But Shoca Lief is a pretty name."

"Kinda sounds like 'chocolate'," giggled Tails.

"It looks like it rained while we were inside," remarked Cream as they started the way back to her house. "Here you take her."

Tails hesitantly took the chao.

"Hi Shoca Lief," he said. Shoca Lief looked up at her name. Her eyes meet Tails's, her eyes that were full of love and now a dull shade of pink.

_Note: shoca lief is pronounced- sh-O-ca leaf_


	3. Master Emeralds and Breakfast

_Author's Notes-_

_Sorry about the delay in this posting, I had some difficulties._

_I also had no idea how fast the stories for Sonic are updated and I can see I'm really far behind. I have a very busy schedule at the moment but will try to update at least once a week._

_Thanks to my first reviewer, ShadTikal4ever,it will be chaotic._

_Read on… _

Chapter 3: Master Emeralds and Breakfast

The Master Emerald stood in the rising sun's light. Bathed in glory it was beautiful. Knuckles the Echidna looked at the Master Emerald with pride, _it is a hard job to guard the Master Emerald, but I can do it._

One part of that hard job was to polish the Master emerald every Monday. So on Monday Knuckles had done just that. He had worked the emerald to a perfect green luster that nearly blinded him. When he was done, he had sealed the Master Emerald away in a lock specially made for it.

The vault was in the mountainside, secret and safe. It would open at the touch of Knuckles's hand and then receive the emerald. The strange rock would then rebuild itself, opening again only to Knuckles.

But on Tuesday, as Knuckles was painfully aware of, the vault had been broken. In a flash of bright green light, the Master Emerald had broken its storage place. It had landed in the soft grass below unharmed.

Knuckles knew that the Master Emerald had responded to a surge of power from near-by. And not just any power! The Master Emerald had responded to the power of chaos. _But where could that power have come from?_

Putting the mystery away for another day, Knuckles readied himself. The Master Emerald shrunk to its "carry-size", and Knuckles put in a backpack that he then put on. Pulling hard, he made sure the straps were secure.

He walked all the way to the edge and could see the wilderness stretching out for miles. Thick forests and tall mountains met his eyes. Looking further he could see the human city, just a dot on the horizon.

The people of that city had respected his wishes, he remembered. After all of his numerous counts of bravery in helping Sonic save the world, the people had agreed to his request. Now this wilderness he saw was a National Park. No humans came in, and so the wild and Floating Angel Island had remained his.

Right now though, he was going to leave what was his. He was going to take the Master Emerald somewhere he knew was safe too, the blue house.

Without another thought he jumped off the floating island.

Knuckles tucked in his arms and legs to streamline his body. He could feel the reassuring weigh of the Master Emerald on his back.

The air was cold and his eyes began to water. Shutting them, he started to fall faster and faster.

A strong wind drove into him. He was battered by the violent wind and his perfect streamline was broken. The blunt air hit his chest and threw him back some more.

The sensation of falling was now at its highest and Knuckles could hear his heart beating over the whipping air.

Knuckles now opened himself up completely and started to glide downwards.

As he glided down his heart relaxed and the heavy pressure of falling ended. The backpack now felt light, nearly weightless….

Knuckles reacted instantly. Twisting himself in mid-air, he grabbed the backpack. The relief of feeling the Master Emerald hit him just as the forest floor did.

"That hurt!" said Knuckles as he stood up. He had made that jump hundreds of times before and his backpack had always held, the Master Emerald was always there.

Wiping off the dirt and rubbing his sore back, Knuckles started out on foot for the blue house.

Tails was sitting at the kitchen table with Shoca Leif. Various bowls and ingredients were strewn on the wooden surface before them.

Tails was deeply engrossed in the feeding chart Cream had given him. It said, "Wednesday morning-Mix ¾ cup pre-made chao food with 2 cups boiling water. Let cool and stir in ¼ cup fresh fruit."

Shoca Lief was staring at a bowl with similar interest. The bowl was a small glass one. Sunlight spilled in through the large east-facing window and turned the bowl into a glass rainbow.

She looked at Tails to see if he was watching her, but he was too busy reading the chart. Looking back at the bowl she leapt.

Glossy white flew in the corner of Tails's eye. He put the chart down just in time to see Shoca Lief, the bowl in her arms and a comical smile on her face.

Fear grabbed Tails's heart as he reached over the table. He had been so careful since dropping her and if anything had hurt her…_I don't think I could take it!_

Sitting on the floor with the bowl facedown between her stubby legs was Shoca Lief. She looked up to Tails with childish love and started to beat the bowl. Tails sat down thinking, _I didn't need that bowl anyway._

He took another look at the chart and then went to the cupboard. After selecting a pot he started boiling 2 cups water. Looking at the small amount of water in the pot he thought, _that doesn't seem like enough._

When he was done he put Shoca's food in a special dish and stuck the chao's special spoon in with it. He didn't know why Shoca would need a spoon, but Cream had told him to do it. '_Some chao like to eat with utensils, so give her one.' _She had said.

He found his chao in the same spot on the floor, still beating on the bowl. Tails bent down and gave her the food. At the same time there was a knock on the kitchen door

Tails opened the door to find Knuckles.

"Hi Knuckles!" he said cheerfully.

"Hi Tails," said Knuckles, with somewhat less enthusiasm.

"Come in," gestured Tails as he closed the door behind Knuckles.

He hadn't seen Knuckles in a long time. It had been nearly 3 months since his last visit.

Knuckles took off his backpack and sat down at the table, not noticing the chao. Tails sat down across from him.

Tails looked at the Master Emerald now in Knuckles's hands.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah, pretty cool," said Knuckles.

"Is that why you're here?' asked Tails.

"Mostly," Knuckles told him. He then started to describe how the emerald had broken its vault.

Shoca Lief sat beneath them, silently gulping down her food. When she was done she picked the spoon. _Chao cha cho?- _What is this?

She turned it upside down but still didn't understand what it was. Starting to forget about the spoon she turned and saw the red/pink visitor. Her eyes drifted from the visitor's legs to the spoon.

Knuckles to spoon and back…hmm….

"OWWWW!" shouted Knuckles.

He jumped up and was caught on the table. He let go of the Master Emerald and it flew up in the air as he fell over.

Tails stood up and, in something like slow motion, saw the emerald start to fall. He dove for the Master Emerald, extending to his full length.

The green gem landed in his hands as he hit the floor. He slid a ways on the slick polished wood before stopping. He opened his eyes (he'd closed then as he hit the floor) and saw a pair of pink slippers…

Amy stood in the kitchen doorway still in her pajamas. She had come down for some breakfast when she was met with this mess.

"What is going on in here?" she demanded.

Knuckles stood and pulled the chair up. He mumbled, "something hit me."

Amy looked at he, slightly confused. She helped Tails to stand, and he gave the Master Emerald back to Knuckles.

Amy felt a little tug at the hem of her pink pajamas and looked down. There was Shoca Lief. She picked up the Shoca and cuddled her as the chao pointed to Knuckles with her spoon and laughed.

"Why you little…" fumed Knuckles.

"She's just a child Knuckles, don't be mad," said Amy. She poked the child's stomach and the child giggled. "And you Tails, you have to take better care of your chao!"

"What!" exclaimed Tails, "I fed her all by myself and even got up and rocked her at 4 am this morning when---"

"Wait!" interrupted Knuckles. "This is your chao? Your responsibility?"

"Yes it is!" replied Tails defensively.

"I can't believe that," said Knuckles as he sat down.

Tails then went into detail of the last couple days' events. Knuckles thought the whole situation very strange. _Weird that a chao would imprint Tails._

"So now she's living with me," finished Tails, not without some pride.

"You had better take good care of her, she is very special," Knuckles told him. During their conversation, he had softened up to Shoca Lief. Now the Echidna was bouncing the gurgling chao on his knee like a proud uncle.

Amy began to pour herself a bowl of cereal called 'Blue Flash!'. As she filled the bowl with milk the small blue marshmallows expanded. They looked oddly like a certain hedgehog's head. _Oh well, _she thought.

"Don't you worry Knuckles, I'll help him take care of the angel," she said and sat at the table.

Tails and Knuckles exchanged looks….

"I don't think outfitting her like a doll qualifies," Knuckles said.

"Oh!" scolded Amy.

A gentle silence followed as only the scrap of Amy's spoon was heard.  
Then Shoca Lief cooed and lifted her spoon until it was in the ray of sunlight that streamed into the kitchen. She was so fascinated by it, this shiny, reflective surface. Shoca moved the spoon closer to her face and saw her reflection. She screamed with delight and even Knuckles laughed.

Amy finished her cereal and put her bowl and spoon in the sink.

"Well, that's good for me," she said.

"That's not a breakfast Amy," Tails said.

"Yes it is," said Amy as she stuck her tongue.

"You two sit down and I'll make you a real breakfast," Knuckles told them.

Both Amy and Tails sat down at the table, Shoca in Tails's lap, and watched Knuckles. He sped around the kitchen in a reddish blur getting bowls, flour, and a griddle for the stovetop. It was a pink blur as they heard eggs cracking and whisks whisking. There was a hot sizzle followed by a warm aroma.

Tails's stomach growled and he moaned, "I'm so hungry."

After a brief wait, Knuckles placed two plates before then, each one piled with warm pancakes.

"You guys got any syrup?" asked Knuckles as he searched the fridge.

"It's in the back," said Amy who was staring at the food before her.

Knuckles brought them the syrup and his own plate to the table. Tails grabbed the syrup and poured it on his pancakes. He inhaled the first one, swallowed the second, and ate half the third before Amy even had the syrup.

"What?" he asked of their raised eyebrows, "I was hungry."

When they had finished all the pancakes Amy asked, "Knuckles, I didn't know you cooked. When did you learn this?"

"I also bake and grill," said Knuckles with his usual boast. "I have to cook for myself, and since I hate bad meals, I taught myself."

"Cool," commented Tails. He had never known that either.

"Well, we better clean these up," sighed Amy.

"Yeah, you're right."

The rest of this peaceful Wednesday spent at the blue house was enjoyable.

Knuckles taught them how to make Angel Island cheeseburgers with his special sauce. Afterwards they had another mess to clean up.

Amy tried to dress Shoca Lief up in a little pink dress. This resulted in her chasing the screaming, laughing chao around the house until Tails forbid the dressing up of his chao.

Tails showed Knuckles and Amy the new upgrade he had started for the Tornado. "It still needs a lot of work," he told them.

Finally, when the day was ending, they sat on the porch and looked up at the stars, each one with their own thoughts, even Shoca. But none of them could have guessed what would happen tomorrow.

_For the emerald's "carry-size", if you've played SA2B you'll have noticed sometimes the Master Emerald is big or sometimes it fits in Knuckles's hands. That's what I mean._

_Is Knuckles red or pink? What's your opinion?_


	4. At HQ with Rouge

Chapter 4: At HQ with Rouge

"Day 5: Have been observing target all morning. Perimeter is highly guarded. Numerous shipments going into and out of target, Guard switch happens at 7:45pm. It is 7:43pm. Will try to infiltrate during guard switch with the key card stolen on day 4."

The female voice stopped and turned off the recorder. She stored the recorder, no bigger than a tube of lipstick, in one of her numerous pockets. Silently opening another pocket of her black wardrobe, the lady extracted a small key card.

It had been so easy to get this card she reflected. Guards were always so loose with their things, especially during their coffee breaks.

Rouge the Bat looked at the key card's photograph with her excellent dark vision. "Robert Valcas" was printed next to a picture of a dopey-looking man who was starting to bald. _Not exactly entering in style, _she thought.

There was a single beep from her watch and she knew it was time to go.

She had selected a darkly shadowed part of the cave to roost. Directing her gleaming eyes below she could see GUN's underground Headquarters. A single, high fence ran around a tall building in the middle of the underground cavern. Watchtowers searched with strobe lights at the four corners of the fence._ If you can't beat them, join 'em._

She let go of her roost and floated down below. Staying in the shadows, Rouge landed on the damp stone. She sat by the road, her black camouflage concealing herself.

A truck was coming and Rouge could hear it.

It emerged from the dark entrance loudly. As it drove by Rouge leapt onto it. She clung tightly, pressing against it to diminish her shape.

The truck passed through a searchlight and Rouge was exposed in the light. Her heart was beating rapidly. She told herself, _they can't see me. They can't see me!_

The light was brief, and Rouge was undetected.

After several seconds, the truck passed the guard's tower. Rouge dropped to the road and rolled out of the way of another vehicle. Quickly getting up, Rouge ran to the guard's door.

Like she had expected, no one was there. It was now or never.

Rouge inserted the key card and recalled the code Robert Valcas had used. She'd been watching for days and the 9 digit code came to her mind easily.

"9-2-8-5-1-3-6-6-0," she muttered under her breath.

A pause and Rouge's pulse quickened again. The door opened with a whoosh, and she ducked in as voices neared.

"I'm in," she told the recorder.

Inside GUN's headquarters it was sterile and cold. The walls were steel and reflected the shadows. In the dim light, Rouge could make out several flying robotic guards coming down the hall.

Like floating heads they came up on her. Their flattops nearly brushing the ceiling, each one of the robots' "eye" became a searchlight. The five guards weaved in and out of one another and so did their lights. They came up on Rouge and she nimbly danced around the lights.

_That was close, _she thought as they continued to the exit.

According to the map she had, thanks again to Robert Valcas, she had to go down this hall and take the 5th door on the left.

The intervals between doors were much longer then Rouge had expected. And so, after 5 minutes of just running down the first hall, Rouge came to the 5th door.

A single guard (robotic) stood in her way. Pausing in the dark to size her enemy up, Rouge also noticed 2 security cameras.

Rouge opened one of her pockets and took out a dozen "star-throws". They were her own design she remembered proudly; small, thin metal discs with 5 sharp prongs. She'd used them before and was going to use them again.

She crouched in the dark, two star-throws in her right hand, the rest in her left.

The robot's sensors barely picked up the faint whizzing noise. It turned its head to see the cameras above it fall to the floor. Quickly, it turned, guns raised. Too late. A third disc pierced its hull and a fourth took off its head.

_I have two minutes, _Rouge told herself.

She slipped past the metal heap and activated the door with her card.

Once inside, Rouge recalled the rest of her map. Up this hallway, take the first right, then a left, and go to the 2nd door on your right. _Okay, let's do this._

She ran through the dark hall. Her feet made little sound because this time (believe it or not), she hadn't wore heels. The soft, almost slipper-like shoes she now wore were silent and that was good.

Rouge passed numerous guards, but each one remained oblivious to her presence. Creeping around the last corner, Rouge saw the final door. It wasn't guarded, but the door across the hall was.

_20 seconds, _her internal clock was saying,_ I have to get in. _

She went around the corner and got a serious surprise.

The robot, a strange floating machine gun with eight missiles attracted to its circular body, was right in her face. She jumped back around the corner as a round of bullets hit the corner.

The robot came flying around the corner and Rouge rolled out of its way. Bullets flying, the machine turned around and came after her.

Rouge ran as fast as she could to the door, a line of shots following her. The robot was speeding after her and the bullets were getting closer…

She took flight. Her body twisted and eight star-throws whizzed towards the approaching robot.

Rouge was thrown down to the ground as the guard exploded. Its final round of bullets flew through the air and one knicked her right leg. The bat rolled over and grabbed her calf in pain. It was like a hot sword had sliced her leg.

She'd had worse wounds though, and Rouge got to her feet quickly.

The robot gave a final blast as its fuel supply exploded. Shards of metal filled the hall with metal on metal sounds. The robot's internal alarm went off, a series of short beeps. To finish off the noise the alarm from her first robotic encounter sounded off, an obnoxious blaring.

_Great, just great…_

But then Rouge saw that her door had been destroyed, and she felt better. Limping on her bad leg, she walked through the doorway.

GUN was a very dangerous military group. They had first-rate equipment and seemed to always be the first to know. How? Well, GUN had many secrets. One of those was its 'project sparkle'.

Deep within the caverns of Angel National Park, they were secretly mining precious gems of the highest quality. Selling them on the black-market, GUN was able to secure its paycheck, and these jewels were the purpose of Rouge's mission.

In the room was the largest collection of jewels Rouge had ever seen; oblivious to the alarms, she walked in.

Diamonds shone in the showcase light. Sapphires, rubies, and pearls were also shown on long shelves that lined the narrow room. Rouge's eyes gleamed with greed as she spied the center case. In a glass case was the largest diamond in the world, roughly the size of a grapefruit.

_I want that! _She thought. _And I already have 2 alarms, why not 3, _she reasoned. Out of her pockets came a small explosive. She rolled the mini-bomb at the case and it exploded in a rupture of glass and steel.

She grabbed the diamond and a couple other jewels. Stuffing them in her small back-pack, she looked for the ventilation outlet the map had shown.

Rouge flew up in the air and tore off the metal grid. Crawling inside she could hear herself breath… and the sound of approaching robots.

All robots were on high alert. So when JX-37 heard a "thump" above, it pulled out all the guns. It fired into the ceiling and saw the bat fall out. It's last programmed thoughts were- **must protect files…top secret…send for back up…must…malfunction…malfun—**

The room Rouge fell into was filled with an eerie glow. Computers lit the room green, while the blue of vat fluids moved in ripples across the walls. _Where am I? _wondered Rouge.

She lifted herself over the robot heap to the computer screens. There was movement outside the door, alarms blared, and the black pack back was bulging with her prizes.

On the monitor were series of journals. Most displayed detailed experiments, explaining the vats.

There was a certain log that caught rouge's eye, it read-

"_8/10- finally, an experiment has survived! Number 094, codenamed 'Jadas'. So far, 094 has yet to take a physical form. It remains like a globe of pale light, floating in its storage vat. This has puzzled us at HQ, but despite this, its life signs are good. Jadas's brainwaves (we have yet to detect a brain though) are high, much higher then a humans. And its energy count, it is off the charts! If we could somehow harness it…_

_8/15- Jadas was created by the power of 'chaos'. It is a strange thing, this 'chaos'. We obtained it while we had a Chaos Emerald. Taking that energy, we have created a living lifeform with it. It will be our weapon of mass destruction, all will be under us once we can control Jadas…_

_8/18- Jadas has started to take physical forms! Today it became a pair of eyeglasses, identical to the ones our scientist observer was wearing. When it tired of that form (2 hours), it became a diskette like the one on a nearby desk. This skill is unexpected but could prove useful…_

_8/30- 2 Days ago, Jadas became an egg. This puzzled us. It had never seen an egg before. We watched as it preceded to hatch and become a baby chicken. In the time from that day to now (52 hr, 21 min, 2 sec), it has fulfilled the life of a chicken, died, and became its former, light-like form."_

Digesting this information with a bad feeling, Rouge read the next part of the file.

_"9/3- Jadas had escaped! The thing burst out of its vat with power we didn't know it had. Once out, it disabled the scienctist observers with a strange attack. It flashed a bright light and the scientist were knocked unconscious (they were fine later). Jadas then copied the form of one of our elite robots. It blew apart the north wall and then vanished. No trace of it, no track or smoke; only the rumble of the building. We do not know where Jadas went, but it must be recovered!'_

It was at that moment that the door opened. Rouge turned to see a squad of GUN's elite robots. They were large and heavily plated, operated by humans and mounted with missile launchers. _Oh boy…_

The leader charged at her, breaking vats and toppling tables. Blue liquid was spattered on the walls and pieces of computer were thick in the air.

_I can't win this battle, _she thought. Her experienced eyes scanned the room for an escape route… there!

Rouge dove under the leading robot. Once up, she side-stepped another. She ran to the other side of the room when missiles blew up the ceiling. Dodging the falling ceiling tiles, she kept running.

She got to the wall and reached the circular opening. She reasoned that it must be a garbage-shoot, _but anything is better than this._ Then she looked at it and realized it was full of that blue liquid.

The robots turned and fired missiles at her. This convinced her to jump in.

The liquid was ice cold and it shocked Rouge. She barely fit in the tube, and the sack of jewels made it extremely tight. The fluid was also fast flowing. Rouge noticed this as the wall far behind her exploded.

She was flying through the tube, hitting the sides painfully; wondering if this pipe went on forever and whether she might die in it.

Suddenly the tube got smaller. Rouge was caught in on her backpack. _No! Not the diamond, _she thought. The pressure was incredible! Rouge could feel her body being crushed and her lungs losing what little air she had left.

_I have to let it go…_she thought sadly even though her life was on the line. Struggling, she wiggled out of the backpack.

Rouge was shot forward through the pipe. The sensation was too strong for her to bare. The pain was too real and her lungs too empty.

She could feel the blackness of unconsciousness growing closer and tried to fight it off. It was too strong, _and I don't want to die like this…_

Rouge had nearly slipped into the abyss when she was shot out of the pipe. She landed in a small lake. Its waters were still warm from the sun's light and it was so warm to Rouge.

The water took her to the shore and gently placed her limp body on the shore. With what was left of her strength, Rouge dragged herself up the bank and into the sweet grass above it.

Once in the grass she looked up at the stars, the beautiful stars.


	5. Sonic and His Hunch

_To all of my readers, especially ShadTikal4ever, I apologize for the wait. I have had to postpone the writing & posting of these next chapters due to the chaos in my own life._

_Hope you like this one! Read on…_

Chapter 5: Sonic and His Hunch

The meadows rolled out in front of him like a sea of green. The long thick grasses rippled with the light breeze. Swirling around, the wind headed for the old oak tree, and the tree's gnarled bark took the gentle caress with pleasure. Continuing on, the breeze flew to the creature sitting in peace at the oak's roots. It met the blue cheek and kissed it playfully. With its last energy the breeze wiped through the oak leaves and a few fell to the blue traveler.

Sonic the Hedgehog gazed at the scene before him, like a painting. _Places like these only exist in dreams, luckily I live in one, _thought the hedgehog. _I have saved the world numerous times, gained a groups of friends like none other, found the Chaos Emeralds, have a huge fan club, and I am still am to find peace in a painting like place. Wow._

Sonic leaned back a little more on the oak tree and sighed. This was the type of Sonic no one would ever find and few even knew about. This was the side of himself that he reserved just for himself, this thoughtful reflective Sonic. Sometimes he needed a break, time to himself, that's when he ran and never looked back.

On this particular run, he had crossed the River Atlos, the boundary of the eastern part of this "earth". He ran for what seemed like forever until he found the oak and meadows. Here he had thought about the latest troubles, his former life and missions, and what might happen in the future. Nothing had happened in 1 year, and he had a feeling, a hunch, that something was coming. It always did.

Sonic stood up and stretched. Breathing deeply, he was gratified with several cracks and pops. It was time for him to leave. And so, with a final look, Sonic ran east; back to his life and the hunch he had felt.

"Chao chao cho ca cha!" screamed Shoca Lief.

"No Shoca! You can't have my life-size-extra-blue-extra-cool-official-Sonic fan club-Sonic–doll!" Amy screamed back at her. She drew in a large breath as her chest rose up and down.

"Careful on the air intake-scream output Amy," remarked Knuckles as he walked past her room.

Knuckles then proceeded down the spiral staircase, hearing more shouts on the way. At the foot of the stairs he stopped. _And 3…2…1…_ A very vicious ripping sound echoed down the stairs.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Knuckles ducked into the kitchen and exited via the back door. He quickly ran to Tails's mechanic shed when the fox met him halfway.

"What's going on in there!" asked Tails. There was grease on his nose and a wrench in his hand.

"Amy's Sonic doll just ripped because of Shoca," Knuckles told him. "I suggest you get in there!"

The pair raced into the house and found the air full of white stuffing. They arrived just in time to see Shoca run through the living-room, Sonic's head in her arms. Amy chased her, wildly swinging a spatula covered in ricotta cheese.

"Hey! That was for my lasagna!" Knuckles shouted at her.

The crazy chao was now running into the kitchen. Taking a deep breath for support, Tails put the wrench in his tool belt and stepped in front of Shoca.

"Shoca, stop!" he commanded.

Shoca immediately stopped and Amy ran into her. The spatula flew up in the air and landed at Knuckles's feet with a splat of ricotta cheese.

"Great," groaned Knuckles as he picked it up and grudgingly went to finish his dish.

"What is going on in here?" asked Tails of Shoca.

Shoca mumbled under her breath a fragment of chao speech.

"What?" asked Tails.

"Cha ca chao cho choo chao chao…" Shoca said.

"You're sorry?" asked Tails. "You hurt—"

"She ripped my Sonic doll!" interrupted Amy.

"Chao," said an apologetic Shoca.

"Sorry!" yelled a near hysterical Amy. She fumed visually and demanded, "give me my doll!"

"Cho!" Shoca said as she clutched the Sonic head closer. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Amy.

"You---!"

"Give her the doll's head Shoca Lief!" ordered Tails.

Shoca shook her head in a 'no'. Tails gave her a firm look that said-now!

Shoca held out the blue head to Amy who snatched it away and ran up to her room. The sound of her door slamming was audible in the silence of Shoca's reprimand.

"What did you do?" asked Tails in a softer tone.

Shoca replied and Tails, in his simple but growing understanding of chao language, interpreted- _she took doll away from me. I was angry and ripped the doll…Sorry…love you._

"I love you too Shoca," Tails said as he hugged her. "Now go play with your toys please."

Shoca readily went to a corner of the living-room and pulled out her boxes of toys. She selected a pair of cars and went on to "vrooming" them around the room.

Tails found the nearest chair and sat down. It took all he had to put on a tough face and discipline his chao. He was having to be tough more and more as Shoca grew more difficult. _This isn't what Cream said it would be. _In fact almost nothing about Shoca was normal.

Since Wednesday, the chao had grown several inches, she now stood at Tails's chest. Shoca walked and talked better then chaos that were a year old, and she wasn't even a week!

The chao was now a gorgeous, shiny white and displayed mature chao markings. She was difficult to manage and Tails had had to put his foot down too many times. _I can't keep up with her! _He thought.

He hoped Sonic would get back soon. Maybe he could do something about Shoca.

It was late afternoon when Sonic reached his house. He jumped the steps and went in through the unlocked door. _Maybe I should get a lock, _he thought.

After shutting the door he yelled, "I'm home!"

No answer.

"Hello?" Sonic asked the quiet. That's when he noticed the note that had fallen off the door.

_Have gone to the chao races. If you get this, Sonic, head over. We'll be at our usual spot with a picnic. Hope you had a good run._

_Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Shoca Lief_

_"_Shoca Lief?" asked Sonic out loud, "who is that?"

He shrugged it off and started out the door again. He was hungry.

Once at the chao race-grounds he found his friends in their usual spot, near the child course's turn two.

"Hey gang!" Sonic greeted them.

Tails and Amy returned his greeting in full as Knuckles gave a low grunt of acknowledgement.

Sonic quickly sat down on the checkered picnic cloth and began to munch on the closest thing. Taking a plate he piled it with lasagna and potato salad. Amy brought him some lemonade as she batted her eyes at him.

"We missed you Sonic," she said sweetly.

Tails rolled his eyes and started to eat as Knuckles let out a low whistle. _Yeah right…_

"Ah, thanks Amy," said Sonic as Amy tried to hug him. He quickly stood up and asked, "who is Shoca Lief?'

"Oh yeah, Shoca Lief is my chao," said Tails with pride.

"Your chao!" Sonic asked in disbelief. "When did you get a chao?'

"Monday, while you were gone," replied Tails.

"Well, where is it?" questioned Sonic.

"She's in the next race," said Tails with a smile. "Cream's with her right now."

"Speaking of the next race, you'd better get there Tails," Knuckles said.

Tails looked around and saw that Knuckles was right. He took off flying to the course Shoca would race on. The rest of the gang started there on foot.

"So how is Tails handling this?" asked Sonic as they started to the course known as Horseshoe Path.

"Not too bad," said Knuckles. "Shoca's a little different than most chao though. I mean, I'm not an expert on them, but his chao is growing at an insane rate. He needs some help."

"Hmmm," thought Sonic. _I don't really know anything about chao either. Oh well._

"Hurry up you slow pokes!" called Amy to them. "the race is about to start!"

Horseshoe Path was much like the name implied. It was shaped like a horseshoe; a raceway of two straightways, one on each end, with a stretch of water in the middle. Spectators could watch the start on one end of the horseshoe and then walk to the other end to see the finish. The owners of the racing chao would follow the length of the course, cheering on their chao.

Amy was waiting for then at the start. She quickly pointed out Shoca Lief to Sonic and Knuckles.

"Wow she's pretty," remarked Sonic as he first saw the chao.

Shoca was gleaming with good health as she waited in the fifth slot. Around her were other chao of varying appearances. She towered over every chao except one. In the first slot was a large red chao. It was the same height as Shoca and appeared just as strong.

As Amy was pointing all of this out to Sonic and Knuckles, Ajex walked out behind the flag-bearing Omochaos on the sideline. With his silly grin, he placed the trumpet mouthpiece to his lips. Ajex belted out a high note to gain everyone's attention and then followed it up with the traditional fanfare. He was ushered off the raceway with a large round of applause.

Sonic watched as the lead Omochao raised a small pistol. Aiming it to the sky it let out a single shot.

Bells rang and the crowd cheered wildly. The chao sprang out and dashed down the path. Shoca took an early lead as the red chao followed behind her.

After the racers had faded away the crowd made its way to the finish line. They had a good 5 minutes before they would see the first chao rise over the hill and sprint to the finish.

Shoca's fans selected the fence closest to the finish as the rest of the crowd gathered near the hill. They stood there talking as a shadow fell over them.

Knuckles looked up as something blocked out the sky over them. The sun made the figure black but he could tell whom it was.

"Bat girl!" he shouted at Rouge.

His initial anger was halted as he took in Rouge's condition. She was scraped and bruised all over, her black clothing ripped in several places. Rouge's face was haggard but her eyes were full of fury. It looked like she had been traveling nonstop as she collapsed in front of them.

"Rouge!" cried both Amy and Sonic. They both grabbed an arm and hoisted her up. Amy knelt down and supported her as Sonic asked what happened to her.

"I knew I'd find you here," she said with difficulty. "You all need to hear this…GUN…"

Shoca rounded the corner with agility and the red chao followed. They'd been like this the whole time, the rest of the pack left in the dust. Tails and Cream were on the sideline, running and cheering her on. The red chao's owner, some type of raccoon, was cheering on his own.

She could see the hill getting closer…

"…And after I fell I found these files, these logs of their experiments…"

Shoca Lief reached the top of the hill. She could hear Tails's encouragement, and the beat of the red chao's feet behind her. Then she tipped and was passed by the red chao. She felt hurt and mad that she'd lost the lead so close to the end. Her rage was building…

Rouge choked and finished, "Jadas escaped they said."

"Something like that, being free…that's dangerous," said Amy.

"And even more dangerous in the hands of GUN," remarked Sonic

"How'd you get out?' asked Knuckles with hidden concern.

"Well I…"

Tails and Cream were shouting for her to get up, but Shoca was so angry. Somewhere deep inside of her she remembered this feeling and how destructive it had been before, but she couldn't control it. It was chaos…

Just as Rouge finished her story the red chao was coming down the hill. There was sudden change in temperature. It got very cold and clouds came from no where to cover the sky. In the darkness, Rouge shivered and the rest looked up the hill.

There was a giant blast of air and, in a white blur, Shoca shot down the hill. She was floating above the ground like Sonic did when he reached full speed. She blew past the finish line and a huge wind followed in her wake.

Knuckles was blown over in the wind and Rouge collapsed onto Amy. Sonic looked at all of them as he got to his feet. As the sky grew light again they all met eyes, each one full of disbelief.

Shoca Lief was GUN experiment 094, codename Jadas.


	6. We're in This Together

_I really like this chapter; I think it turned out nicely. It is a little short but sets up a lot of things I will later put into motion. So here you go…_

Chapter 6: We're in This Together

"How are we going to tell Tails?" Sonic addressed the group. "He won't take it well."

It was Friday night at the blue house. Sonic, Knuckles, Cream, and Rouge sat in the east guestroom talking about the situation. After the race they'd found Shoca Lief in her normal state and brought her home. Now she and Tails were playing downstairs under the watch of Amy; who, dispute being thought of as ditsy and naïve, was very serious about watching Shoca.

"I think you should," Rouge told him. "No one knows him better, and there's no one he trusts more then you."

"I agree," said Knuckles.

"I just can't believe this has happened," thought Cream out loud.

Cream was sitting in a chair near the window. She gazed out of it at the night's blackness.

"How could something like this crawl in under my nose?" she again thought out loud.

"Jadas escaped the most heavily guarded military base I've ever seen," Rouge said to the rabbit. "I don't think you should blame yourself."

"What confuses me is that this thing took the form of a chao in the first place," said Knuckles. "If it is a metaphysical thing that can take a true physical form, what else can it do?"

"Knuckles, would you mind repeating that in English?" asked Sonic.

"What he's saying is," Rouge said. "How can something like Jadas exist without a body. How can it create a body for itself. And that big ol' Knuckleface over here is scared of what it might do to him."

Knuckles blushed and shot Rouge a look that she returned with equal vigor.

"You said it was made from chaos, right Rouge?" asked Cream.

"Right."

"That means it is chaos and that it is unpredictable," Cream finished.

"How can we get rid of it?" asked Knuckles.

"I think we're just making more questions then answers you guys," said Sonic. "I'm going to tell Tails."

Sonic rose from his seat and headed to the door. As he did, the Master Emerald (Knuckles had it in his hands) started to pulse.

"Oh no," said Knuckles.

Sonic dashed down the stairs like lightning. When he stopped he created burn marks on the living room carpet. Before him was a floating toy truck.

Tails and Amy stood shocked with their mouths open as Shoca made the truck fly around the room. The chao was quite obviously enjoying herself as she giggled and jumped up and down.

Sonic reached out and grabbed the truck. Shoca stared at him and lowered her raised arms with an expectant look. Tails continued to stare as Amy ran to Sonic.

"We were just standing there and then Shoca started to look at the truck funny," she was saying. "Then it started to fly and-and- I was so surprised!"

"It's okay Amy," Sonic told her. "Will you and everybody else take Shoca into the kitchen while I talk to Tails. Shoca needs her dinner about now I'm guessing."

Tails began to protest, as Shoca had already been fed, but he stopped before he started. Everyone who'd run down the stairs helped Amy and Shoca into the kitchen as Sonic and Tails stayed in the living room.

Sonic flicked the truck into the toy box where it landed with clang. He walked over to Tails and put an arm around his pal's shoulder.

"Why don't you sit down Tails?" he said.

Tails sat on the couch in his shocked silence. Sonic struggled for the words to begin, he'd never had to do this before.

"Well, I'm going to assume that you've noticed Shoca Lief's a little, ah, special, right Tails?" he began.

Tails nodded but his eyes were distant.

"Shoca isn't really a chao," Sonic said bluntly.

"What?" cried Tails in both outrage and panic. "What is she?"

"We don't really know. You'll have to talk to Rouge about it, we all will tomorrow, after we all have some sleep," Sonic said.

"I should have noticed," Tails said. "She was acting so weird, but I just, I--"

"Don't blame yourself Tails!" Sonic told him. "We're in this together. So go get some sleep."

"Okay," Tails said without too much zest. He trusted Sonic, but this was confusing and scary.

"Goodnight," he told Sonic.

"Night."

From the kitchen came the sounds of late night snacks. Sonic's belly growled and he realized how hungry he was. _But how are we going to deal with this? _He asked himself. _I don't know._

"Sir, we have conformation, it was 094, Jadas," said a man from inside GUN's headquarters.

"Good job lieutenant," said Colonel Aric. "Dismissed."

The lieutenant saluted and left Aric's private chambers. After he was gone, the colonel remained where he was, standing near the door. Aric thought-_how am I to tell the boss? We lost 094, but at least we know where it is. We need to recover it, and soon._

Colonel Aric strolled over to his couch and sat down. His stiff uniform made this position uncomfortable so he stood up again. Taking the files from his desk, he started to pace and look over the information on 'Jadas'.

"It'll be hard to take down," he mumbled to himself. "Very hard."

Aric began to formulate the plan in his head. He would use only the best, starting tomorrow. It would take a maximum of a month to bring down Jadas. He's also noticed the address of the house from which this information had come. If he could take down Sonic the Hedgehog as well as recapture Jadas… From his desk's right side drawer Aric removed a cigar. Lighting it he began to write his promotion acceptance speech.

Things weren't going well for the genius Dr. Robotnik. His last attempts to take over the world had failed, he'd lost both Shadow and Metal Sonic, and his robots were beginning to malfunction from the constant dust in his pyramid base.

"Blast this darned contraption!" he swore at his latest robot. He smacked the head with his hammer and then sliced the legs off of it with his laser.

"Another failure," he fumed.

Just then there was a knock on the door. A key code was activated and his servant henchbot, Tyroy, entered.

"Out!OUT!" Robotnik roared at Tyroy.

The small human-shaped robot ducked the thrown hammer and came to Robotnik.

"But sir," it pleaded. "We have found something!"

Trying to control his anger, Robotnik said, "what is it?"

"Sir, in the last hour we have detected the power of chaos. And it was not form a Chaos Emerald sir!" said the mechanical voice.

"What?" said Robotnik. _The power of chaos? I must have it! And this time, no hedgehog is going to get in my way!_

"Show me!" he ordered his henchbot.

In the town of Mevois Point, far east of the River Atlos, there was a full moon out. Stars glimmered as the small town slept. It was peaceful and quiet, except in one certain dark alley.

Behind the bakers shop was a large dumpster. The brick building was still warm from the ovens and that heat fought off the cold of the autumn night. Close to the dumpster, under a strange but finely woven blanket, a creature tossed and turned with a nightmare.

The dream finally became so bad that the creature sat up in the night. Wrapping itself in the thick blanket, it rummaged through its pack for something.

If one had been close enough, one would have seen the gleam of pearls in the moonlight. These had been acquired from the Aquari sea folk on the eastern seashore. Next came a series of other things the creature had gained from its travels. Finally the creature found what it was looking for, a map.

The moonlight showed a simple map in various inks. The map detailed most of the lands to the east of the Atlos, where the creature had traveled.

It stuffed everything into its single bag, including the hand-woven blanket. Then it exited the alley.

Once at the edge of the city, the creature turned to look back. These people had been kind to it, it recalled. Then it began to run east. It ran with fierce speed, nothing could keep up with it but its shadow.


	7. Goodbye to Blue House

_Hi again! This chapter was difficult to write and one of the longer ones so far. I'll warn you now that it ends kind of abruptly. Go and read! _

Chapter 7: Good-bye to Blue House

The sun peered over the treetops and its light gushed forward. Like a cascade of water it flooded onto the house in the forest. The morning light lit up every angle of the incorrectly named "blue house". As the birds awoke and started to sing, the bright sunshine hit the eastern window and entered the room.

It was Saturday morning, 7:21a.m. Cream the Rabbit sat on the edge of her bed in the east guestroom. The crisp temperature of the early autumn air had made her put a blanket around herself. She stood up and walked out of the room as the blanket dragged behind her.

Once downstairs, Cream found she was the first to wake. That was normal though, she was always waking up early for the chao. _I hope Butterscotch is doing okay, _she thought.

Butterscotch was Cream's younger cousin. A rabbit also, she was Cream's "apprentice". Butterscotch, Scotch for short, was training to raise a chao garden of her own in the Southern Valley. _The weather's nice down there, I think the chao will like it. _At any rate, Cream had left her garden in Scotch's hands until she returned, and Cream was starting to think that it might be awhile.

Cream took a seat at the wooden table and looked out the window. With her sensitive hearing she detected the soft sound of padded feet from behind.

She tried to turn in her seat, but this proved difficult with the bulky blanket. When she finally managed to do so, she saw that it was just Knuckles.

The red echidna wore a light sweatshirt with the logo-Angel National Park, and held the Master Emerald.

"I thought I was the first one up," he said softly.

"Nop," she whispered back.

Knuckles came and sat down next to her at the table. He gently placed the emerald on the table. He acted like the slightest touch would shatter it into a million pieces. When he was satisfied with its position he yawned deeply.

"I was up all night watching it," he told her with another yawn.

"Did anything happen?" Cream asked.

"No, but I didn't want to take a chance," Knuckles replied.

He stared into the green gem. Cream looked too but didn't see anything.

"I have a feeling," he said without taking his eyes away from it. "I don't know what it is, but it feels like a strong power. It's coming from the Master Emerald, and its something I've never felt from it before."

"I don't like this," Cream said in a less hushed voice. "Shoca Lief isn't a chao, she's some-some… thing. I feel scared with her here."

"It's okay," Knuckles tried to comfort her. "We all feel that way."

There was a silence. In it they could hear the muted songs of the morning birds outside. Each was with their own thoughts when something fell.

From the living room came a crash followed by muffled cursing. They both looked to the kitchen entrance and saw Rouge hobble in on a pair of crutches.

Rouge was much better then she had been when she'd arrived at the blue house. Her injuries had been treated and covered. Amy had found a pair of crutches (where? who knows) and Tails had fitted them to her size. Rouge though, was thoroughly independent and had been very opposed to them. In the end she'd given in, but that doesn't mean she was very good at using them.

"Did you have a nice trip?' Knuckles asked laughingly.

"Good morning to you too!" she spat at him.

"Now, now you two," said Cream. She had taken it upon herself to try and referee Knuckles and Rouge's arguments. After failed pleas to stop her, everyone else had shrugged and let her try.

"I came down for something to drink," Rouge said. She continued to the fridge but Cream cut her off.

"You sit down and I'll get it," she said gently but firmly.

Rouge fumed and went over to the table. She pulled out a chair with difficulty and sat as far from Knuckles as possible.

Cream got Rouge a glass of orange juice and brought it over. Rouge quickly downed in a single gulp, handed it back to Cream, and looked at the Master Emerald.

"Don't even think about it!' Knuckles nearly growled at her.

"I don't want it," she told him, "it sticks like echidnas do."

Knuckles let up a little bit.

"I do want to know if anything happened last night," she told him.

He told her no as Cream set down the second cup of juice. This time Rouge took her time.

Cream sat down with her own glass, one of milk, and glanced at the microwave's clock. It read 7:49 a.m.

Tails entered the room. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he pulled out a chair. The small table was nearly full, four of the five seats taken. There were a pair of table leaves in the kitchen closest, they would make the seats number ten instead of five, but no one thought of this.

"How is she?" Cream asked Tails.

"She's sleeping up stairs," he said, "was quiet all night. She'll wake up and be hungry at about 8:30, so I came down here to start her food."

He shivered in the cool air and regretted not grabbing a blanket. Cream walked over and put hers around his shoulders.

"That's okay Cream," he said and tried to give it back, "I'm okay."

"I'm going back upstairs to get dressed anyway," Cream said, and so Tails accepted the blanket.

Cream left the group and headed upstairs. She slowly made her way up the spiral staircase. At the top she saw Amy headed her way. The pink hedgehog was dressed in pink pajamas, the same ones she'd wore the day Knuckles came.

Amy waved a hello as she yawned and headed down to the kitchen.

The only ones not up were Sonic and Shoca Lief. She would wake up soon but knowing him, he'd do whatever he felt like, whether it meant waking up at 6 am or noon.

Cream got to her room and went to the window to close the curtains. _It's not like anyone is out there watching, _she told herself, but it was an old habit. As she closed them she once again could here the morning noises.

She opened her pack and produced a set of clothing. After taking off her pajamas, she put these clean clothes on. When she had just finished buttoning up, she noticed that it was very quiet. Looking at the guestroom clock she saw it was exactly 8:00 a.m.

Sonic lay awake in his bedroom. He was staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. _What are we going to do with her? What if she gets out of control? How will Tails feel? What can I do? _He sighed.

Looking around his nice but rarely used room, Sonic found something that interested him. In the right ceiling corner there was plaster falling.

Sonic sat up and got out of bed. He stood under the forming hole in his pajamas, the flakes falling on his head. _What in the…?_

Suddenly someone fell out of the ceiling. It was a man cloaked in black camouflage, a light on his head, and an expression of surprise on his face.

Sonic stared at the intruder. _Okay…_

Sonic was just about to ask the strange man what he was doing when the man attacked him.

The Private sprung on Sonic and they tumbled on the ground. Sonic expertly slipped out of the man's grasp and jumped on the bed.

"Who are you!" Sonic shouted, even though he had a pretty good idea.

His attacker said nothing but assumed a martial arts stance.

"Sure, try it," said Sonic who had assumed his regular cockiness.

The Private kicked low and then punched high. Sonic dodged it and the man kept coming. As the man once again tried to grab the hedgehog, Sonic ran around him so fast that the man twisted and fell to the floor, his walkie-talkie flew and hit the wall.

As the device hit the wall Sonic heard static come from it. Sonic began tying the man up with the bed sheets when he heard a voice.

"Private Stapis? What is going on? Is it clear, repeat, is it clear?"

Below him, Sonic could feel the house beginning to shake. _Oh no…_ From the walkie-talkie he picked up commands being given in the background.

Before leaving the room Sonic checked the man for any weapons. He found a light firearm, discharged it, and tossed the empty gun into his open closet. He also found a badge that read-"Private First Class Stapis, GUN". _I knew it!_

The shaking grew louder as he ran down the stairs. _How could we have been so unprepared! I should have known they'd come for her!_

Once in the kitchen he found the rest of the gang.

"Sonic! What's happening?" shouted Amy at him. She rushed up and clutched him.

"We all have to get out of here right now!" he told them.

Sonic looked at Knuckles. The echidna was staring wide eyed at the Master Emerald. It was glowing brightly and a humming could be heard from it.

"Knuckles! Get everyone out, and now!" Sonic yelled at him.

"I knew something was going to happen," Knuckles said as he got up.

He had just got the emerald into its "carry-size" when GUN attacked.

The front door was thrown open and in entered 3 missile mounted robots. Another 4 took out the back entrance to the kitchen, where everyone was.

Tails grabbed Amy and they both ducked under the strike of the first robot. Knuckles picked up his chair and threw it at the robot who sliced it in two.

"Cream and Shoca are upstairs!" Tails yelled to Sonic.

"Get out!" Knuckles was screaming, while Amy took out her hammer and started to swing at the enemies.

The house was falling apart. The robots smashed the walls and the two stories above them were falling down.

Sonic raced into the living room to find the other robots. They fired shots at him that hit the entertainment center and caused it to explode. Fragments of the TV fell on Sonic as he started a Spin Dash move. He flew through the air and sliced the legs off the first two robots. Streams of hissing steam came from the wounded robots and they crashed on the ground.

Sonic dodged the next one with a quick side step and then took it out with another spin dash. He could hear the destruction of his house and the shouts of the others. _I have to get Cream, GUN can't have Shoca!_

He made it upstairs when the whole house crumbled. The second story smashed into the first one and Sonic fell to the ground. Getting up, he ran into the east guestroom and found Cream in a bundle of tears.

"What—?" she was cut short as Sonic grabbed her around the waist and rushed to Tails's bedroom.

He made it to the doorway when something ripped off the ceiling. More debris fell down but luckily nothing hit them.

Where the ceiling had been appeared a giant machine. Where its head would have been was a glass cockpit, and Sonic could see its human operator.

"Surrender yourselves, Sonic the Hedgehog!" was shouted through a huge voice speaker.

Sonic yelled back 'in your dreams!' but it couldn't be heard over the noise of the Tornado flying over the scene.

Tails took one well-aimed shot and the machine blew apart. Cream screamed and hung onto Sonic tightly. _At least they got out, _he was thinking.

Sonic bust the door down with a kick and found Shoca Lief. The 'not-chao' was sitting on her own little bed in the corner. She was glowing almost too brightly to look at.

"Shoca come!" Sonic commanded and Cream echoed it.

"Chao cho!" it screamed-_NO!_

Then it was gone.

In a sudden blast like the one at Horseshoe Path it took off. Shoca shot through the falling house and out into Angel National Park. She was gone.

Sonic had just enough time to see the remainder of the GUN squad take after her when he realized the house was burning too. The smoke clouded his eyes and Cream was crying into his shoulder.

With lightning speed he took a blanket off of Tails's bed and wrapped it around Cream and himself. He looked to the window and jumped out of it.

They landed on the grass below, the blanket protecting them from the glass. Sonic made sure Cream was alright and then went back into the house.

He emerged again with Private Stapis and some of the other GUN officers removed from their robots. They were choking and dazed.

Sonic threw them on the ground in anger and continued to tie them up with more sheets.

"It is more then you deserve!" he told them.

The blood was pumping in him and he was mad as could be. They'd attacked him, destroyed his house, possibly hurt his friends, and tried to steal Shoca who was now loose in Angel National Park; but that small conscience angel on his shoulder still told him he couldn't let them die.

When he was satisfied they wouldn't escape, he helped Cream stand and they walked around the destroyed blue house to find the others.

Near Tails's mechanic shed stood the Tornado, a large fighter jet of his own design. In the shadow of its wings sat Knuckles who was checking the Master Emerald, Amy with her Piko Hammer, and Rouge.

"You little!" shouted Amy in frustration. She lifted her hammer and brought it down on the nearest robot piece. The metal arm crunched and Amy continued to hit it.

"Is everyone okay?' asked Sonic.

"Yeah," replied Rouge. She was propped up against the Tornado's leg and looked at Amy. "She's a little out of it though."

"Amy stop," Sonic said. He gently took the hammer from her and she collapsed in his arms.

"All my stuff!…I was so sc-scared!…Oh Sonic!" she wept.

"Hey Amy its okay," he told her. _Someone has to be strong._

"Where is Shoca Lief?" asked Tails with concern.

Sonic looked at the boy fox with a sad face. _What do I tell him?_

"She's gone," he said flatly. "But I'm going to find her."

"I'm coming with you!" Tails told him.

"No Tails," Sonic continued. "Everybody here needs some place to stay, you need to fly the Tornado and take them somewhere safe."

"We can all go to Floating Angel Island," Knuckles put in. "It'll be safe there and I'll make everyone something to eat."

"I'm cold," Amy said.

"Okay Tails?" Sonic pleaded. He put his hands on the fox's shoulders and looked in his eyes. "I'll find Shoca, but I need you to do this for me, before GUN comes back. Okay?"

Tails nodded in silent agreement.

"Good, I'll see you all later," said Sonic. He then began to run east, the way Shoca and GUN had gone, hoping he would find her before them.


	8. Pyramids in the Dark

_I really like this chapter! It is a break up of 3 different parts of the story-Knuckles and them, Sonic, and Shoca. I would put in some sort of break but it never shows up in the text so I stopped trying. Have a good week, I'll see you later._

Chapter 8: Pyramids in the Dark

Sonic the Hedgehog had been running all day. Searching for Shoca Lief was proving much more difficult then he had thought. At first the path had been clear, a straight line of burnt trees and grass. Later on though, the trail ended. This, Sonic thought, must have been where Shoca had returned to normal. From there, tracking her had gotten harder.

Something that scared him was the wide trail he sometimes found. The grass was trampled and pounded into the ground. He knew it had to be GUN with its heavy robots. It did seem like they were having difficulty too, and that reassured him a little.

He was also thinking of Tails and everyone else. Knuckles had invited them to his place on the floating island. Oh how much he would give to not have to track this lost experiment and be hanging out with them! But someone had to find her, and it wasn't going to be GUN.

It was at this time that night was setting in. After hitting a stand-still, Sonic had found the trail again. The trees were getting thinner and the soil looser. Sonic realized that Shoca was fleeing into the desert. _Great…_

He kept running until the dark set in. Sonic could no longer see Shoca's trail, but he could see the edge of the forest. To the south of where he was, the trees ended and the desert started.

In the protection of a large maple tree Sonic stopped.

"There's no sense in going any further," he said out-loud to himself. _I last saw GUN an hour ago and they looked like they were finished and going to pack up. There won't be any protection out there, so I think I'll stay right here for tonight._

Regretting that he hadn't brought any supplies, Sonic proceeded to curl up under the tree. The wide tree broke most of the fall wind, but not all of it. Sonic shivered and curled up tighter. He eventually flew asleep thinking of that day with the meadows and oak.

Knuckles's bachelor pad wasn't made to house five people. So trying to find a place for everyone to sleep was causing mayhem.

"Amy!" yelled Tails. "I called this spot!"

The spot in question was a small section of the inflatable mattress that covered the living room floor.

Knuckles had chivalrously given the injured Rouge his own bed and taken his lazy boy instead. Cream had elected to sleep on the small couch that occupied one of the walls in Knuckles crowded living room. This left Amy and Tails to duke it out for the mattress.

"Ehh," said Amy from under the covers.

Amy was spread across the full size mattress, covering up Tails's portion.

"Amy please move," Tails pleaded.

"Uh."

"Err, Amy!" said Tails. He grabbed the blanket and flipped Amy onto her side; then plopped down before Amy could reclaim his spot.

"Nice Tails," Knuckles yawned. He had just emerged from his room where he and Cream had helped to situate Rouge. She had been extremely picky about where they put her wrapped up leg.

Cream went to the couch and was instantly asleep. Knuckles sat in his recliner and cocked back the lever. With a loud 'creak', the chair flew back and rebounded to a comfortable position.

"Goodnight," He said as he reached over and turned off the light.

Shoca Lief had been traveling for a long time. She was lost, tired, cold, and confused. She couldn't remember why she'd run away, but it had something to do with the blue hedgehog though.

She remembered that after waking up something bad was happening. Soon though, her fear had turned to rage and she lost all memory.

The next thing in her mind was running, no, flying away. When she'd stopped flying, she realized she was lost. Shoca had cried for the fox, Tails, her parent and caregiver; the furry fox that she could cuddle with and feel safe. But Tails wasn't there, and she kept walking because she figured that she would reach him eventually.

It was now night and the desert was cold. It was like an endless sheet of dark blue and black. Shoca didn't like it.

After shivering for several minutes, her body had started to produce sparks, little orange sparks from her midsection. They were warm and lit up the darkness. She liked them.

Shoca Lief kept walking and soon saw a shape rise in the distance. It stood out against the star lit sky, triangular and ominous. Shoca was frightened, but she recognized that she needed a warm place to sleep if she wanted to live. She sped up and started to run.

It took her 10 minutes to reach her destination. When she saw the pyramid up close her heart sped up. This increase didn't make her any warmer though. The sparks had ceased and her teeth were chattering in a feeble effort to warm her cold body.

The experiment started to look for an entrance to this strange house. She walked around the first long side and saw a light. She could hear metallic noises, like something at work building something. There was a loud crash and then a voice.

She crept closer, afraid of what might be there. There was a doorway with light pouring from it. She could feel the warmth and longed to be inside.

Feeling more daring, she edged into the light. She saw a humanoid robot searching through a bucket of tools. Every now and then it found a bad one and hurled it into the distance, all the while muttering to itself.

Shoca Lief sat down and watched it, as it temporarily interested her more then her search for warmth.

The robot must have found an undesirable tool because it tossed it out. As it did, it saw Shoca.

The robot jumped back in fright and dropped the bucket. As it tried to run back inside it tripped over a large rock and fell flat on its face. Shoca found this amusing and laughed.

Tyroy stood back up and stared at Shoca Lief. _What is this?_ She was the first living being he'd ever seen beside his master. He came closer and started to examine Shoca. She didn't protest but in turn observed Tyroy.

Tyroy had picked up Shoca and was holding her. He could detect large amount of energy coming from her. She seemed harmless, plus she was a simple creature in a cold environment, she needed warmth. He took her inside the pyramid base.

"What did you find this time?" asked Dr. Robotnik.

He was in his sleeping robes, and quite angry at being disrupted from his 'beauty' sleep.

"I believe that this will interest you sir, I found it outside while---"

"Well what is it?" the eggman shouted.

"This!" Tyroy said and produced Shoca Lief from behind his back.

Shoca stared at Robotnik and tilted her head to one side. She smiled and pointed at Robotnik's ridiculous mustache.

"What is this?" asked Tyroy's master. He looked at the young adult chao and wondered if he needed to re-screw Tyroy's Infertech chip.

"Well," started Tyroy, but he stopped as Shoca Lief started to giggle and bounce in his hands. "Uh, well…"

"Get that thing out of my sight!"

"But sir," the robot pleaded.

Just then another robot came into the room.

"Can I be of service?" it asked Dr. Robotnik.

"Yes, remove Tyroy and his 'pet'," he answered.

"Yes sir."

The robot took hold of Tyroy and started to force him out of the room.

Shoca Lief didn't like her friend being pushed around!

She narrowed her eyes and focused on the robot. It stopped in its tracks and stood struggling against her powers.

"What…?" said Robotnik as he looked on.

Shoca shifted her eyes and the robot flew across the room. When it rose and tried to move Tyroy again, she got down from Tyroy and touched the robot. A current of blue electricity came from her touch and flowed over the offender. The robot short-circuited and the sizzled into a heap of melting metal.

Both the doctor and his creation stared at her. She looked from one to the other with innocent eyes.

"Well, that's it sir," Tyroy said.

"Intriguing," said the doctor as he pulled on his orange mustache. "Take it to the testing chamber!"

Once in the testing chamber, they put several wires onto Shoca. She was hesitatin at first, but Tyroy reassured her, and Shoca Lief trusted him.

First they ran a series of standard test that told them the make-up of Shoca (including her gender), then a couple special tests. Finally they ran Robotnik's newest test, the 'chaos test'.

When Dr. Robotnik read the chaos test results he realized exactly what Shoca Lief was. _The power of chaos in this small creature…amazing. This is it, my chance to take over the world!_

"Bring this creature to my sleeping quarters where I can keep my eye on it. Set up a bed for it and make sure she has everything she needs. Tomorrow we start planning," he told Tyroy.

The robot headed to get the supplies while Robotnik held Shoca in his arms. In his softest voice he told her how adorable she was and how 'good ol'Robotnik' was going to look after her.

Shoca Lief took in every word.


	9. Deja vu from Within Darkness

_I'm back! Yeah! Anyway-->this is the beginning of the end, just to warn you. Please review because I needto know how you, the readers, think this story is coming._

Chapter 9: Deja vu From Within Darkness

A dark bird sat perched in the maple tree. It was a large bird of sleek black feathers. Cocking its head to one side, it looked down. There at the foot of the tree it saw a patch of blue. The raven had never seen this color before, and so it dropped to the ground to investigate.

Slowly, it moved towards the stranger, weaving its way through the grass. When it reached the object of its fascination it stopped. Gentle sounds came from the blue thing, and raven blinked when it first heard this. It stretched out its neck and poked the blue thing.

Sonic jumped and the raven flew away, its cry crackling with surprise.

"What was that?" muttered Sonic to himself.

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The desert sunlight came in through the thin trees and he shielded his them from it. _What a night!_ He recalled.

Sonic then stood up and looked through the forest and out into the desert. _What a day it's going to be…_he told himself. _Blistering sun and no shade, just what I need. _Then his stomach growled and he realized he needed more then just shade. _I need food and water. There's no telling how far I have to follow Shoca, and she'll need some too when I find her._

He walked away from the maple tree and into the desert.

Two hours later, Sonic found himself vaguely recognizing the area he found was in. Granted, all of the desert looked the same; sand, rocks, sun; but this was something else. In the distance he could see something on the horizon. The sun was directly behind them and the glare was terrible.

"Pyramids?" he whispered, his voice raspy from having no water. Then it hit him.

"Oh no!" _Shoca walked straight to Robotnik!_

Sonic started to run. Questions flew at him. _Why hadn't he realized where she was going? How could he be so unprepared, again? When was he going to learn that all things led back to Robotnik? Why didn't he do something more? And what more _could_ he do?_

Now running at nearly full speed, Sonic reached the pyramids in a half of a minute. The dust he kicked-up created a cloud behind him and he realized that Robotnik was going to know he was there.

As he was running, memories of his past desert experiences flooded his mind; especially the time from the Ark incident, when Knuckles had gotten them into the pyramid. That was the time he'd had to fight a giant rock robot. _I hope it's not the same this time._

Sonic was now roughly a hundred yards form the pyramids. The foremost one loomed in the near future and Sonic was fast approaching it.

At the top of the first pyramid, an opening appeared. A dozen flying robots zoomed out and rushed towards Sonic.

Sonic didn't back down. He kept running at the same speed and met the robots head-on. Several of them managed to make a serious U-turn and follow him; the others were cut down by the air current that came after Sonic. These ones plunged to the ground malfunctioning and twitching.

A short series of homing attacks and spin dashes destroyed the remaining robots. As the final one fell, Sonic landed in the shade of the first pyramid. He looked up at it and knew that Robotnik was watching him.

"You'll have to do better then that Robotnik!" He shouted. "Now tell me what you have done with her!"

"I have no idea what you are asking Sonic, and I feel quite hurt that you would accuse me of stealing from you," replied a voice. It came from the opening and was definitely the Eggman's.

"What have you done to Shoca Lief!" screamed Sonic. Now that he was in some shade and not moving, he could feel the affects of heat exhaustion and dehydration. And there was always the factor of his constant contempt of Robotnik to figure in too.

"Oh, so the thing has a name does it?" said Robotnik. It was followed by murmuring about how he'd have to change the name.

The taunting was more then Sonic could take in his current state.

"What have you done to her!" he repeated.

"Hahaha," laughed Robotnik coldly, "why don't you find out?"

The opening in the pyramid grew larger and the ground started to vibrate. Sonic could hear the grinding of gears and the scrapping of metal on stone. _Oh no…_

From the opening emerged a giant something. It shot out of the hole and up into the sky. Sonic followed it with his eyes and was blinded by the noon sun.

It can crashing to the ground and Sonic was thrown up into the air. Recovering, Sonic studied his enemy.

It was a robot, big surprise. A large almost humanoid shaped one, it was all silver in color. For a weapon it wielded a long metal stick, each end with a blue orb on it. Most importantly, in the robot's chest was a glass display.

Inside of the display was Shoca Lief. She was strapped in and couldn't move. Her eyes were blood red and her whole body was almost too white to look at. Sonic peered at her and knew this was not the chao Tails had loved. This was a monster with no control of itself, a creature with terrible power, the very power of chaos. It had no love, and this he knew for sure.

"Meet chaos, Sonic the Hedgehog."

The robot lunged at him. Nimbly, Sonic flipped back and started to run. He felt a gush of wind and then ran into the robot. It swung its rod and he went flying. _This thing is fast!_

Sonic became defensive, and the robot began to glow red. It towered over Sonic in the desert sun.

"Come on!" Sonic called.

"Destroy him!" shouted Robotnik.

Inside the display, Shoca struggled against the restraints. The robot moved slowly and Sonic took the opportunity to attack.

He ran up to the leg and used a wall jump. Once on the chest, he charged up and hit the glass display with a spin dash. The window was laced with an electric current and Sonic was caught in it. He screamed and twitched as the power ran through his body. The robot swung itself and Sonic was hurled off.

Sonic landed hard. _That didn't go as planned, _he told himself. He tried to get up, but his body was burnt and now weak. This was probably the strongest enemy he'd faced.

"Get him!" screamed Robotnik.

Out of the pyramid's door came hundreds of flying machines. At their head was Robotnik in a personal flying device. They came behind Shoca's robot and watched as the robot finished off Sonic.

From the robot came a scream of utter horror and agony. Sonic lifted his head and saw Shoca. In her eyes he glimpsed the innocence he had known. She was contorting and pulsing a vicious shade of red.

"DO IT!" shouted Robotnik. He pulled out a control panel and pressed a button.

The scream came again as Sonic got to his feet. Shoca Lief kept trying to break free as a fresh wave of energy struck her.

"You can't control her!" Sonic yelled up at Robotnik. "She's too good for your evil!"

"We'll see about that!" replied Robotnik.

He pressed another button and this time Shoca couldn't take it. She reared in her harness and began to pulse black. Her screams stopped and the robot again started to move.

The rod's ends, the blue orbs, began to glow. _I need to move, now! _Realized Sonic. He started to run, his aching body fighting his will. _Move Sonic! Move Son—_

A brilliant blast of blue light struck the spot right next to him; Sonic remembered flying up in the air and the sensation of falling. He could hear the dull laughter of Robotnik as he blacked-out.

Dr. Robotnik was about to send the rest of his fleet to find and kill Sonic. After the blast, the doctor's rival had been sent flying into the forest. Every piece of logic was telling Robotnik that Sonic had to be dead, but the Eggman had seen this episode too many times.

That's when GUN had arrived though. They had obviously sensed the energy from Shoca. Robotnik didn't want to deal with them, not yet. He dispatched 20 of his standard flying robots and 3 elite fighters to find and finish Sonic. Then he and the rest of his force started for Station Square because that's where the real party would begin.

Colonel Aric saw Dr. Robotnik shrinking into the distance. He was still in awe at the power the Eggman's robot had registered. Aric knew that Jadas was with him, _and she must be recovered!_ He gave the command to pursue, all units pursue Robotnik.

Knuckles was beginning to get use to this week, it just kept getting worse. So when the Master Emerald again glowed, he knew something was up.

Everyone was in the kitchen for lunch. They were about to eat tacos, but no one was that hungry. Sonic was on their mind. _Where was he? Was he okay? What could they do? _All these questions ran through their minds. And Tails was so stressed out about Shoca Lief! The fox's fur was matted form worry and the poor thing's tails drooped with sadness.

Everyone, even Rouge, had tried to cheer him, but nothing had worked.

So there they were, in the kitchen when the emerald went crazy.

The Master Emerald started to shine a beautiful green. Then it levitated off of its spot in Knuckles's hands. Spinning in the air, dishes went flying and the food spilled all over the floor.

Taco meat sprayed Rouge and Cream and the sour cream was thrown at Amy. An entire head of lettuce hit Tails in the head and Knuckles tried to grab the emerald. He jumped at it and it simply moved. Knuckles fell into the counter and taco sauce was shot al over his face.

"I've got it!" said Tails.

He was holding onto the emerald and it was carrying him up into the air.

"Let go!" shouted Amy at him.

Tails let go and dropped to the ground. Knuckles reached for a dish towel and threw it over the floating gem. He grabbed the Master emerald and stuffed it in a cupboard.

"I've never had this much trouble with it," he told them.

Then the cupboard exploded.

The Master Emerald fell onto the counter, still glowing but not flying. The ashes of the wooden cupboard lay around it like a garnish.

"Something must have happened," said Cream.

"Yeah, but what?" asked Rouge.

"Let's find out," said Amy as she wiped off sour cream. "The television."

Darkness was now settling on the forest. In the twilight walked a creature, the same one that had slept behind a baker's shop in Mevios Point.

It had been traveling to the eastern sea, back to spend a month or so with the Aquari folk. The call of chaos had been too much though. The first surge had been just enough to grab its attention and cause a halt in its eastward progress. The strong surge, the one from earlier this day, had drawn it back across the River Atlos.

Now in the cover of the trees it had heard noises, something like a struggle, and it was intrigued.

Red eyes peered through the bushes at Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue one was tired. He had little energy to hold off his attackers. The robots were too many. Even though there was debris, robot arms and such, to say Sonic had put up a fight, it was ending. Soon he would succumb to his injures.

An elite robot came at him. Sonic had disarmed him and so the robot used hand-to-hand combat. Sonic parried the first blow, but then the robot swung low and Sonic was knocked over.

The remaining robots, about 10, formed a circle around them. Sonic weakly tried to crawl away. The elite robot raised it arm to deliver the final blow...

"Chaos Spear!" shouted Shadow the Hedgehog.

He leapt out of his cover and attacked.

The robots exploded forcefully from his attacks. In seconds, the ground was littered with metal parts.

"Hold on Sonic!" said Shadow. He caught the hedgehog's head as he collapsed.

"Shadow?" whispered Sonic.

"Yes, it is me," replied Shadow.

He removed his back-pack and searched through it.

"Where have you been?" asked Sonic.

"Just about everywhere," Shadow answered. "Here."

He produced a vial of dark liquid.

The sun had set and the two hedgehogs could barely see each other.

"Drink this," commanded Shadow. "You need it more now then I ever will later."

"What is it?" asked Sonic cautiously.

"A healing remedy from the Cehue people. They live on the plains and I met them on my travels."

Shadow uncorked the vial and helped Sonic drink it. The blue hedgehog felt a tingling sensation throughout his body. It was warm and comforting.

"Rest," Shadow told him.

"But I have to tell you about…" Sonic started but then fell asleep.

For several minutes Shadow remained where he was, kneeling, propping up Sonic's head. _What am I doing?_

He used his back-pack to make a pillow for Sonic, after removing the blanket, this he lay over Sonic.

Shadow sat down next to the sleeping Sonic. _He'll wake up revived, _he noted.

Sighing, he looked up through the trees to the moon. He could see planets out in the distance and déjà vu hit him.

_What am I doing, saving him? I was happy in my traveling, my searching. Now I'm back with Sonic, and who knows what he'll drag me into. _A voice answered-_you have already dragged yourself into it. _He asked-_what is it? _Answer-_you'll find out soon __enough._

**_Oh yeah, I introduced Shadow! Betcha didn't see that one coming ;-). So, what do you think? The plot is thickening..._**


	10. The Circumstances of Friends

_In this chapter, I have tried to mature the relationship between Sonic and Shadow. They have their motives and ways, but in my story they have to work together, so I'm working on this development. Tell me what you think of it!_

Chapter 10: The Circumstances of Friends

It was warm. Red flames formed in the blurry black of Sonic's vision as he awoke. He could feel not only the physical warmth of the fire at his back, but he also felt a tingling warmth throughout his entire body. Slowly, cautious, he sat up. His vision cleared and he could see Shadow sitting by the fire opposite him.

"Good to see you awake," said the dark hedgehog. His voice was low and expressionless.

"Ah…" said Sonic and rubbed his head. It didn't hurt but it was a habit he had. There was this ripple of good feelings flowing in his body and he liked it. _But where did it come from? _Then he remembered-_Shoca Lief, in the desert, the fight, in the woods…Shadow saved me…Shadow? A rescuer?_

Sonic looked at Shadow with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and caution. Shadow continued to stare into the fire, taking no notice (or pretending to not).

The awkwardness was intense. Not long ago they had been fighting against each other, it had been a full-fledged battle. Even when they had been brought together it had been under difficult circumstances. It had been join together or everything dies, not the best circumstances to make friends in.

"How did you get here?" asked Sonic.

"I heard the call of chaos," replied Shadow. He looked up and said, "what has been going on while I was away?"

Sonic could detect the anxiety in Shadow's voice and told him all that had happened in the past week.

When he had finished, the stars were still shining brightly in the sky, the fire was getting low, and Shadow looked tired.

"I ran all the way here and have kept watch for you," said Shadow. "I wish I had a Chaos Emerald so I use Chaos Control and go right to Station Square, but as it is, I don't. There's about 3 hours until sunrise."

He then turned his back to the fire and Sonic and went to sleep. Sonic took the hint and kept watch, feeding the fire until sunrise. Then they would move.

Amy had been staring at the television for hours. After the Master Emerald had completely flipped, she had suggested they watch for anything on the news. So everyone had been watching, but everyone had fallen asleep besides Amy.

_News, news, news…Bright sunshine for tomorrow…the Mayor is holding a ball…buy a brand new refrigerator for just $314.67! Man, I've been watching this too long._

Amy brought up the remote and aimed it at the TV. She was so tired; it was time for her to sleep. Her thumb raised to fall on the power button when—

"Breaking News!" shouted a voice and a man appeared on the TV screen. It was Jack Times, she recognized him from his special report on the latest designer fashions. "This just in--!"

A picture appeared on the screen and Jack started talking, but Amy tuned him out.

It was Robotnik!

She looked on in horror as his giant robot neared the city. Hundreds of his other little "creations" fell around in sweeping patterns around the humanoid destructor. In the distance, Amy could make out several of GUN's robots chasing Robotnik.

"…we have a message from the Mayor…"

"Citizens of Station Square, please listen to me! Do not panic. Robotnik is sending his troops to the business district and eastside, if you live in these areas leave now…"

He continued to talk about evacuations and what they should do. As he did, the camera zoomed in on the robot. Amy squinted her eyes and could barely make out the form of Shoca inside of the machine.

"Wake up! Wake up!" she shouted.

Knuckles jumped up from the lazyboy he'd been sleeping in and stopped when he saw the TV. Tails came running in from the bathroom, Cream sat up on the couch, and Rouge sleepily hobbled in from Knuckles's bedroom.

Everyone's one expression was the same as Amy's had been---horror.

The sheer power that Robotnik was displaying was like nothing they'd ever seen before. And this time, Sonic wasn't here. There was no blue hedgehog to save the day.

"We have to do something!" Amy exclaimed.

"Like what?" asked Rouge sadly, "in all seriousness, what can we do?"

"We'll fight him," Tails told her. "We can do it!"

"Yes, we must try!" cried out Cream the Rabbit.

Tails looked at the TV screen and saw Shoca Lief inside of Robotnik's robot. "Look at what he's done to Shoca Lief! Robotnik, I'll get you for this!" he said. No one had ever seen the young fox so angry.

"Before we do anything though, we need a plan," said Knuckles.

"We have to try, come on Rouge," pleaded Amy.

"Alright!' shouted Rouge. "I'm in, you guys'll need all the help you can get."

"So what's the plan?" Cream asked Knuckles.

"I'm thinking about it…"

About 3 miles outside of Station Square, Robotnik was approaching the object of his desire. Just another minute or so and Station Square's eastside would become his robots' playground.

Looking behind him, he thought, _but that GUN…When will they leave…? I'll just have to deal with them!_

He shouted into the speaker that was mounted on his control panel, and the entire fleet turned on GUN who was following them closely.

The two forces collided in an explosion of flying lights. Eggman robots latched onto GUN artillery and drove them into the ground where they exploded. The elite robots of GUN mowed down several of the smaller robots by the half dozen. Parts flew every which way, and the alarms of broken robots sounded.

Robotnik hovered over it all, laughing at the destruction, as Colonel Aric came to battle.

Aric was armed in a "flying dog" model robot. He flew up, menacingly and fearlessly, for he had commanded his forces in a great many fights and he did not fear death, only defeat.

He cursed at Robotnik and it only furthered the Eggman's laughter. The missile launchers on the flying dog loaded and took aim. _One shot…_thought Aric.

He pulled the trigger.

The missiles shot out and headed for Robotnik. As they hit, force field of intense blue surrounded Robotnik. Aric could see the robot with Shoca inside of it creating this force field. It was then that Aric accepted his defeat.

Shoca swung her staff and knocked Aric out of the air. While he spiraled upwards, she shot at it. One shot, that's all it took. Despite the advanced shields, Aric fell to the ground in a flaming heap of metal.

The battle was over. GUN lay decimated on the ground outside of Station Square, and Robotnik moved closer. The sun, just peaking over the treetops, reflected off the silver building of the business district.

"Wake up!" said a voice.

Sonic the Hedgehog looked up into the face of Shadow the Hedgehog.

"It's time to move!"

He stood up and found the campfire out, and Shadow with his backpack on.

The dawn was just beginning and Sonic ignored it. Unless they got to Station Square soon, there would be no more sunrises, or sunsets for that matter.

"We have a lot of running to do," Shadow commented.

"I love to run," replied Sonic and then he took off.

Shadow followed just behind him, gliding along in the manner he always had. Sonic began to speed up, and Shadow matched it. The urge to race got into Sonic's veins, but he rejected it. _As much as I want to race, I can't because…we need him! _

They ran at break-neck speeds through the woods. Zipping around the trees like birds do. Neither tired nor did one think they would tire.

After several minutes of silence, Sonic asked, "Where did you go?"

Shadow picked up a little and ran side-by-side to Sonic. He looked at Sonic, not breaking the look to weave around a tree.

"I traveled to all the places of this world that they didn't have maps for. I made my own map and learned about many different ways of life."

Here he stopped talking and Sonic asked/shouted at him, "did you find your place yet?"

"No," replied Shadow sadly. "But I think , sometimes, that it might be with you and your friends. I always get involved with your fights, maybe they should be counted as mine also."

"Maybe…" said Sonic, and he left it at that.

And so the two hedgehogs ran to Station Square. They ran against time, evil, and themselves.


	11. Rainbows Come After Rain

_I thoroughly apologize for this taking so long! I had major writer's block and then my schedule became so hectic I had no time to write. Anyway I present you the last chapter. _

Chapter 11: Rainbows Come After Rain

Everything was silent, the calm before the storm. Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat stood on the roof of a tall skyscraper. The building was one of the tallest in the city, on the edge of the Southern Sea, and it would be one of the first buildings that Eggman's army would reach. They stood on the frontline, waiting for the battle.

The quiet was broken by a distant humming, thousands of little flying engines. The noise grew louder until it was an obnoxious buzzing. Still, Knuckles and Rouge held their position.

"Are you sure about this?" whispered Rouge.

"This is all we can do," answered Knuckles solemnly, "maybe it will work, maybe Sonic will show up, maybe we'll all die. I don't know."

"I do not fear death," stated Rouge.

"Neither do I, but I'd rather not meet it today," said Knuckles.

The first wave came crashing down on them. Beautiful sunlight lit up the city just before missiles began to tear it to bits. The flying robots had machine guns that shattered the windows, and the sound of glass and metal and concrete all being destroyed was everywhere.

One robot swooped down on Knuckles and Rouge. Knuckles side-stepped it and punched it out of the air.

Behind them, Knuckles and Rouge could hear the Tornado enter the fray. Hopefully, Tails, Amy, and Cream would be able to hold some of the destruction at bay.

The humanoid robot that contained Shoca Lief was approaching. From the drawstring sack on her back, Rouge pulled out the yellow chaos emerald. Knuckles revealed the Master Emerald from his own backpack and the green gem swelled to its real size.

Robotnik, who had been hovering in his little personal craft above Shoca, saw the emeralds. _Shoca has the power of Chaos in her, what if I add a chaos emerald and the Master Emerald to it?_

"Get me those emeralds!" he commanded Shoca.

Inside her prison, Shoca squirmed and screamed inaudibly. Then the machine took a giant leap and started to run ahead of the second wave to the city.

"It's working!" said Rouge nervously to Knuckles.

"Here we go!" shouted Knuckles.

Setting the Master Emerald down on the rooftop, Knuckles laid his hands on it. He started to chant, slowly and in a low bass voice. His chant quickened and the chaos emerald in Rouge's hands started to glow as the Master Emerald did too.

"It's almost here! Hurry up!" Rouge told him.

Shoca Lief was bearing down on them, her staff was poised to strike.

The blow came but was stopped by a sudden force-field. Generating form the Master Emerald was a green shield of power, much like the one Shoca herself used.

The robot was paralyzed. Robotnik shouted out orders and dozens of flying Eggman robots fired at Knuckles and Rouge. Their shots hit the shield, doing no damage at all.

"Now Tails!" cried Rouge.

The Tornado came blasting through the city streets and to the paralyzed robot. Inside the cockpit, Tails took aim. _I'm sorry Shoca._

Tails fired a dozen missiles at the center of the robot, the glass display with Shoca in it. The Tornado banked and flew up at a near 90 degree angle.

The missiles hit with a giant blast of energy. All the robots near-by went tumbling to the ground. Robotnik's ship flipped over and he was barely able to keep himself inside. The force-field saved Knuckles and Rouge.

The robot with Shoca inside it was thrown to the city floor, knocking over and crushing the buildings in its way. When the dust settled, the robot stood up again, fully intact. The only apparent damage was a very small crack in the glass around Shoca.

"What?" screamed Rouge. "how did it survive that?"

"I don't know, but we'll try again!" said Knuckles.

He closed his eyes and emptied his mind. _Master Emerald, you can control Chaos, so control Shoca Lief._ He focused on that one thought as Robotnik shouted,

"Get them, NOW!"

Again the emeralds shone, but it didn't work. Shoca Lief was too strong for the Master Emerald alone, and one chaos emerald was not enough help; they needed all seven chaos emeralds to control the pure Chaos in Shoca.

Heedless of Knuckles's thoughts, Shoca Lief struck the building.

It collapsed in a rumbling roar of noise. Rouge quickly put her chaos emerald away and grabbed Knuckles around the waist. She launched herself off the falling building, her wings pumping to keep them from being sucked down with the debris.

Knuckles held the Master Emerald as Rouge struggled to keep them up. _Stupid Echidna, he's too heavy! _She was falling, falling right into the outstretched arms of the demonic robot…

Robotnik watched gleefully as the bat and echidna fell into his robot's hands. _Soon they will be mine! _He thought about the emeralds. Suddenly, a blue streak flew through the air and caught the pair of falling animals, then, disappeared.

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" roared Robotnik with all of his might. _I should have finished him off himself, _he thought as he cursed GUN for interfering.

Sonic zipped around the attacking robots and city streets until he came to Station Square's seaside courtyard. He carefully set Knuckles and Rouge down.

"Not bad," said Shadow who was waiting for them by one of the courtyard's trees.

"You guys okay?" asked Sonic.

Rouge nodded as she got up; Knuckles propped the Master Emerald up against a wooden bench and nodded too.

"We tried stopping them with the Master Emerald, but it didn't work," he told Sonic and Shadow.

"The Master Emerald?" repeated Sonic.

"It's hopeless," said Shadow, "if the emeralds aren't powerful enough then--"

"Oh boys," said Rouge, "you'll have to finish this chat later. We have company," she pointed at the robots massing towards them.

"Chaos Spear!"

"Chaos Wind!"

The pair of attacks cut their way through Eggman's ranks, but still more came. As Sonic and Shadow continued to blast the robots, the Master Emerald in Knuckles's back-pack throbbed.

"What do we do?" cried Rouge. She was starting to breakdown.

"Chaos Spear!"

"Chaos Wind!"

_Chaos wind and spear… _thought Knuckles. In the midst of the battle's confusion and noise, he found his thought. _The emeralds!_

"Rouge get out your emerald," he told her.

By this time the Tornado was directly above them. It hovered over the courtyard, which in peaceful times had been a quiet sanctuary, and shot at the attackers.

All of Eggman's robots were coming from the same street. Buildings on both sides of them created a sort of bottleneck; they were easy targets for Tails.

Soon most of the flying robots were destroyed, but Shoca Lief kept advancing. No amount of bullets could slow her down. The sound of Robotnik's laughter echoed everywhere.

Sonic and Shadow took off towards her. Sonic went into spin dash and went flying into the robot's leg. Shadow wall jumped off the robot towards Robotnik as he laughed.

Sonic hit the metal with a grating halt as his spin dash proved useless. Shadow hit the ground next to him after Shoca had knocked he out of the air with her powerful staff.

"Get back here!" Knuckles called to them.

Sonic helped Shadow up and they raced out from under the descending robot foot.

Shoca Lief wasn't stopping. She was a mere 100 feet from where Sonic and his friends had decided to make their last stand. And the gap was closing quickly.

The Master Emerald and its yellow counterpart were spinning and shinning in response to the Chaos around them. Knuckles quickly told Sonic and Shadow his last plan.

"We have to free Shoca Lief, then the robot will be finished. The only thing I can think of is this: Sonic and Shadow, you have to use the power of these emeralds to attack the robot's center. If your guys' combined power is strong enough, the glass will break and Shoca Lief will be freed."

"Sounds great," said Shadow doubtfully. _Why did I come here to die?_ He asked himself.

"It's all we have," replied Rouge.

Sonic placed one hand on the Master Emerald and the other on the chaos emerald.

"Come on Shadow, we need you again," he said.

As bullets flew overhead and Robotnik laughed in the distance, Shadow thought, _my place is with them, their battles are mine too._

He faced Sonic and put his hands on the emeralds.

"Let's do this," said Sonic with his famous smile.

Power surged form the emeralds to the hedgehogs, and they shouted together,

"CHAOS ATTACK!"

A piercingly golden blast flew to the center of Shoca Lief the robot. The robot exploded in a fury of metal pieces, and a shockwave issued from it. The shockwave hit the Tornado, and the plane came crashing to the ground.

There, floating in the air, was Shoca Lief. Her body was the purest white possible, and her eyes were red as blood. She illuminated a soft silver haze and stared at the world around her in contempt.

"Shoca?" said Sonic hesitantly.

"Chao cho ca co chao!" screamed the raging monster, for Shoca was now a monster.

"Chaos rules and demands death," translated Cream the Rabbit from behind them.

Shadow turned to see Cream, Amy, and Tails. _At least we will die together. At least I will die where I below, with them._

The sky turned black as rippling clouds blocked out the sun. Waves the size of mountains surged on the coastline. All around them the city was bending inwards, bowing to the pull of Shoca.

They were in the eye of the hurricane, the air was still but the sound was terrible, as the wind rushed around them.

Shoca Lief's entire body started to alternate between the colors, each one darker then the next, but her eyes remained blood red.

Sonic could feel the weight of the revolving power around them. And he knew, beyond doubt, that Shoca Lief was drawing everything, city, continent, the entire planet, into herself. _Like a black hole, the world is going into the heart of Chaos. I have to do something!_

He took a step forward, the step was painful and difficult from the weight that forced him down. Then he felt something by him. It was Tails! The fox moved past Sonic, inch by painful inch. His face was full a determination Sonic had never seen before, and despite his fear, pride filled him.

Miles Tails Prowler made his way to Shoca Lief. The calm air was beginning to stir, and it whipped his furry coat around him. _Shoca is my chao, my responsibility, _he thought. He didn't know why, but he felt that he was the only one who could stop Shoca Lief. But he didn't know how. Fear gripped his heart, _we're going to die,_ his mind kept telling him,but he kept moving.

"Shoca Lief!" he shouted to the monster, "you must stop! You're going to destroy everything!"

"Co cho cha chao!"- _I no longer listen to you, _answered Shoca in a voice unlike her own. It was both masculine and feminine and yet neither. It was otherworldly, ancient and evil. It was the voice of Chaos itself.

"But you're going to kill everyone!"

"Ca cho chao chao cha co!"-_Chaos demands your death, be silent!_

Shoca thrust out her arm and a gust of wind hit Tails. It lifted him up in the air and then threw him back down. Tails lost his breath and never regained it as the gust focused on him, pinning him to the courtyard floor

Tails couldn't breath. The pressure on his throat was suffocating him…

Sonic grabbed him and pulled him out of the wind's current. Giving him a shake, Sonic smiled at his friend. In that smile was a glimmer of doubt and fear, not the familiar hope. Tails realized in despair that Sonic had given up. Sonic the Hedgehog, his hero and brother was giving up, had accepted defeat. _But he can't! I need him, I love him!_

The words came flowing from Tails's mouth, "Shoca, you are going to destroy everything I love and need, all my friends and even yourself. Don't do this! I love you Shoca Lief!"

The wind and waves around them grew faster and the sky grew blacker, but Shoca Lief's eyes softened. For Chaos is one of the universe's greatest powers… but Love is greater.

The explosion came like thunder. The earth quaked under their feet, and Tails clung to Sonic as the all of the darkness of the sky whipped past them and into Shoca Lief. Another peal of thunder and then--

Pure light. It filled all of Tails's senses. Everything was white, his sight and hearing, his very body and soul. Suspended in freedom and purity, Tails tried to think-_is this heaven?_-but he couldn't think. He could only be. He could only exist in this ecstasy, and that's all he needed.

Then it was normal.

Tails opened his eyes and felt a gentle rain fall down on him. He released Sonic and looked around.

Everyone was okay, just as confused as he. Through the lightly falling rain, he could see that all of the robot debris was gone; the streets were clean. The buildings that had been destroyed were standing there as if nothing had happened to them. And in the courtyard, just feet away, Robotnik sat deprived of his machines and chained to the nearest bench.

"Wow," said Amy softly.

"What happened?" asked Rouge.

"I'm just glad we're alive," sighed Knuckles in relief.

Cream came up to Tails and put a hand on his shoulder, "you did the right thing."

"What did you do anyway, Tails," asked Sonic.

"I don't know," replied Tails in surprise, "I said 'I love you'."

"Love?" asked Shadow as he stood besides Tails and Sonic, "why is Love always the answer?"

"I don't know the answer to that, Shadow," said Sonic, "but you're welcome to stay with us and find out."

"Maybe I will stay with you, maybe," replied Shadow thoughtfully.

The rain stopped and the sun burst into the sky. It shown with new vitality, as if it, too, were happy to be alive.

_Where is Shoca Lief? _Thought Tails as he looked at the sun. _Did she destroy herself to save us? Or is she still alive somewhere?_

"Look at that!" exclaimed Amy.

Everyone looked at the sky. There was the widest, fullest rainbow anyone had ever seen. And as they all smiled at it, Tails knew the answer, Shoca Lief was alive, and so was Love.

_There you have it, the end of this story. Hope you liked it. Thanks to everyone who read it, double thanks to those who reviewed (hint-hint)._

_Love is powerful, and I hope it brightens your day!_

_Good-bye, alleycat1312._


End file.
